His Favorite Flower
by oh-my-marauder
Summary: When Sirius and James are given mentors to try and correct their behavior first year, it's basically the end of the world. James has no clue what to expect from his mentor. He doesn't even know her! Who the hell is Violet Hammel? Could something blossom between them over the years? What about Lily? Who will be his favorite flower? AU. Marauders Era. JP/OC, some JP/LE and OC/OC
1. Mentors?

**A/N: Hey, you guys! Sorry it's been a while since I wrote an honest-to-goodness fanfiction. You may remember me as "TheStillDoll" or "Sweet-Slytherin-Princess". I decided to revamp my Fanfiction page, seeing as my main fandom is Harry Potter. I'm currently writing this fanfiction based off an RP ship I created with my OC Violet Hammel. I'll have links to her blogs up soon, but for now I'll give you a basic run-down of her. Her FC (face character/face claim/whatever you prefer) is Talulah Riley, and James' FC is Aaron Johnson. I really liked how they mixed well on Nearly Famous, and also Talulah's personality and attitude reflects Violet's exactly how I see it. But yeah, here we go! Review and Favorite, pretty please. I'd love your criticism, so long as it is constructive. c:**

James rolled his eyes and nudged Sirius in the seat beside him. He nodded his head in the direction of Minerva McGonagall, who seemed to have a constant expression of "I do not have time for these silly shenanigans." Sirius and James both simultaneously presented big, innocent grins at the witch.  
"Hello, Minnie. How are you on this fine evening?" Sirius asked in an all-too-polite and light tone. James chipped in with a frighteningly similar tone of voice,

"Did you miss us terribly?"

Minerva inhaled deeply to avoid snapping at them. It was 2:13 am, and she, quite frankly, was tired of these first years' pranks. They had a new prank almost every week, and if she had to spend another detention with the two of them, something _would_ explode.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, this has been your fifteenth prank this year, and it is only November 2nd." she informed them.

"Well, technically, it's November 3rd, see-"

"I know what day it is, Mr. Potter," Minerva interrupted sharply."Seeing as you two cannot fathom the concept of proper behavior, Headmaster Dumbledore and I have decided that it'd be appropriate for you two to receive mentors from the year above."

The two first years groaned simultaneously. Sirius folded his hands over his eyes and dropped his head on the table. James' head lolled back in dread.

"_Mentors?!" _Sirius repeated, peeking out from between his fingers.

"Yes, _mentors." _Minerva confirmed. The look of horror on the boys' faces seemed to satisfy her. She reached into her robe pocket, and presented them with two slips of parchment paper. "It was obviously difficult to find volunteers, so you'll have to put up with whoever you are given. And If I hear a single complaint from either of your mentors, you will _both_ be scrubbing bedpans from the Hospital Wing for the rest of your first year."

James and Sirius took their parchment slips, inspecting the names written in Minerva's neat and clear handwriting.

"Sweet! I've got Frank Longbottom." Sirius grinned, approving of his mentor. He knew Frank would go easy on him. James' eyebrows furrowed at the name written on his parchment piece.

"Who the hell is Violet Hammel?"


	2. Violet and The Prank

James didn't like the library very much. The librarian always hissed at him to be quiet, there were hardly any pranks to pull, and he couldn't even _eat_ in there! They were trying to torture him, James was certain of that. He rolled his quill between his fingers, trying to pass the time. McGonagall told him to be at the library early, and he supposed that his mentor hadn't gotten the early memo.

James stretched, yawning and laying his head on the library table. He was so damn _bored_. What was this "mentor" of his suppose to do, anyway? Was she supposed to tutor him, or encourage him to act like a perfect little gentleman? Because if that was the case, the latter would never happen. Ever. James was going to have fun with this "mentor". Meaning she'd probably be washing slime out of her clothes for a few weeks.

As James was pondering what color the slime he would dump on his mentor should be, a pile of books plopped onto the table near his arms. He lifted his gaze from the books to the second year before him. She had long, straight chocolate-brown hair that fell a little past her shoulders. A small hair clip held her bangs back from her fair-skinned face. Her eyes were a light green. Not emerald green like Evans'. No, more like a soft grassy green with flecks of brown in them.

"Hey," she greeted, sitting down. She didn't seem very mentor-y at all. She didn't seem like she really wanted to be here, either, for that matter.  
"Hey," James responded, repressing a raised eyebrow, "You're Viola, right?"

"_Violet," _she corrected him, resting her chin in her hands, "And you're James." James grinned, sitting back in his chair and ruffled his hair with his hand,

"That's m'name. Don't wear it out." Violet nodded, and stretched her arms, yawning.  
"Well," she began, "I didn't actually volunteer for this. McGonagall told me about it and she said she'd give me extra credit if I did it, and I wasn't going to say no. She said she was desperate. Really, I don't care if you're a problem student or not, but we'll just say we made progress. Deal?"

James was surprised to say the least. He was expecting a goody-two-shoes who was going to correct his posture within the first seven seconds of greeting him. Not this at all. She just didn't seem to care, and James certainly understood that.

"But what if I _want _to improve, Violet? What if the only thing I care about in this dull world is to be a boring, polite, perfect goody-two-shoes?" James prompted, "What if I wanna be just like...erm...that one guy who's a huge teacher's pet? He's in Hufflepuff, and his face looks kinda like a foot?"

Violet quirked her eyebrow,  
"Ted Tonks?"  
"No, no! More foot face-y." Violet pursed his lips in thought, and then asked,  
"Amos Diggory?"

"That's the one!" James exclaimed, snapping his fingers and pointing at her. He earned a hiss from the librarian to be quiet and a snicker from Violet. He grinned, soaking in the attention, and not caring whether it was positive or negative. Violet looked to James, and questioned,

"How does Amos Diggory's face look like a foot?"

"It just does! I mean, if you just...hang on..." James squished his cheeks in odd directions, and tried to make himself look like foot-face. "See? Don't I look like Amos Diggory and his foot-face?"

"No, you look like a moron with squished cheeks."

"Hey, hey, hey. Close enough."

Violet shook her head, and rolled her eyes at James. She looked like she was going to say something else when the library doors swung open. In sprinted Sirius, his robes flying behind him and he was carrying a backpack full of toilet paper and what appeared to be fireworks. James hopped to his feet as Sirius ran in his direction. Sirius shouted,

"You better love me for rescuing you, Potter!" Violet backed away from the table as Sirius jumped on top. James got up beside him, not even questioning that what was about to happen was going to be an awesome prank. Sirius threw the rolls of toilet paper around the library, and James took some from the backpack and began throwing them around as well. Some of them covered bookshelves, and others didn't make it past the chairs. Violet ducked down and avoided a flying roll of toilet paper that was flung in her direction.  
Frank Longbottom bounced—yes, bounced—in through the door, drenched in water and his ankles hexed together.  
"Sirius!" he called, struggling to avoid falling over

James and Sirius shot a look at each other and dove off the table. The librarian was already summoning a professor, and Violet had gone to help Frank. Sirius took out the firework, and tapped it with his wand. It shot into the library ceiling and burst open into sparkles that spelled out:  
"THE MARAUDERS WERE HERE!" James hooted and hollered, while Sirius continued to set off more fireworks. Instead of just messages and sparkles, some animals burst from the magical fireworks as well. It was mostly pigeons that seemed to always have the need to defecate all over the place. The entire library was in chaos, and James and Sirius had never looked more proud. James folded his arms and looked on in approval,

"Sirius, I love us."

"I do, too, James. I do, too."  
Unfortunately, that couldn't be said for the whole room. Professor Slughorn opened the door, his eyes wide as saucers, and called out to the half of the Marauders across the library,

"Merlin's beard! James, Sirius! What have you boys done?"  
Sirius abandoned the backpack, and made a run for the door,

"Times' up, mate!" he called over his shoulder. James turned on his heel, and threw the door open.  
"James, wait!" Violet called to him. James paused for half a second, looking to Violet. Sirius' hand lashed out and snatched James' wrist.

"Cooties, James! No time, let's go!" and the young Marauders sprinted down the hall, leaving their mentors behind in the mess that remained of the library.


	3. Great Hall Gossip, an Evans-less James

**A/N: Oops! I didn't realize I accidentally replaced chapter one with chapter two when I added in a different version of chapter two. xD My mistake! It should be all fixed up now, though. Sorry!Please R&R, it makes me very happy. c:**

Violet yawned, jogging down the stairs from the Girls' Dorms in the Gryffindor Common Room. She looked around the common room. She was up a little bit later than usual, so it made sense that fewer people would be there this morning. However, she wasn't alone.

Sirius Black soon stumbled down the stairs after she had. He had messily ran a comb through his hair, and his house sweater was tied around his waist, his Gryffindor tie in a tangled, hopeless knot.

"Oi!" he called out to her. Violet glanced over her shoulder, and paused. She pointed to herself a bit stupidly, making sure he was actually addressing her. "No, I was talking to Merlin. Yes, _you_, genius." Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. He caught up to her and asked, So, you're James' mentor, yeah?"

"Yeah. I was right there when you jumped up on the table and starting throwing toilet paper and stuff around, after all." She responded.

Sirius grinned mischievously,

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" his tone held no humbleness. "Anyway...you're not really going try and make James a perfect little goody-goody, are you?" he held back snickers.

"Oh,_ totally,_" Violet nodded, sarcasm evident, "I'm going to do everything in my power to make him a perfect little gentleman," she scoffed at Sirius and swung the portrait door open, "No. I'm not. Do I look like a miracle-worker to you?"

"Well, no, but I'm sure if you had a nametag that said 'miracle worker', you would."

"That was a rhetorical question."

"Jeez," Sirius chuckled, "Take a joke, Victoria."

"Violet." she corrected him. Sirius shrugged,  
"Same thing." Violet repressed rolling her eyes and started walking ahead of Sirius on her way to the Great Hall. She opened the doors, and found her friends at the Gryffindor table. As she went to sit down, Sirius purposely bumped his shoulder against hers. She shot him an annoyed look and he blew her a kiss in response. Rolling her eyes for the thirtieth time in the past fifteen minutes, Violet plopped in her seat on the bench beside her fellow Gryffindors. Soon, word swept around the table that Violet and Sirius had walked down together. Hushed tones were exchanged around Violet and her group of friends. Was it really that big of a deal?

A first-year named Mary MacDonald looked to Violet with wide-eyes, and asked in awe,

"You talked to Sirius Black? What did he say?"

Yes, apparently. It was that big of a deal. Violet knew that James and Sirius were essentially the celebrities of Gryffindor house. And as time went on, they'd only become more popular throughout the rest of the school. Biting into her muffin, Violet shrugged and answered,

"Nothing much. Just about the mentor program."  
"What mentor program?" A girl sitting next to Mary questioned. Violet explained to them that she was working with James to try and "improve his attitude" and "make him become a proper young man and student". Which were words almost never used to describe James Potter.

"Good!" a red-haired girl sitting across from Mary piped up. She crossed her arms and continued,"Potter is an arrogant, bullying toe-rag, and could use some manner adjustment. You will try your best, won't you?" she questioned. Did Violet have "Miracle Worker" duct-taped to her back? Were people going to start asking her for three wishes or something? Dear Merlin. James Potter was never going to change unless he chose to on his own, no one could make him. And if they tried, he would just act even worse for spite, and that was proven yesterday.

The other girls groaned,

"Lily, you hate James so much but you never stop talking about him!"

"Because he gives me something new to complain about every day," Lily grumbled, pushing her eggs around her plate with her fork. Just bringing on the subject of James Potter seemed to annoy the crap out of her. The other girls backed off, not wanting to awaken Lily's inner temper.

James, however, was not as smart about things like that. To him, Lily didn't have an inner temper. The only thing she had was an inner desperate love for him that he could, and would, wrench out of her eventually.

"Oi, Evans!" Lily cringed at the sound of his voice and glared at him down the table,  
"What do you want, Potter?" she snapped.

"Would be an angel and help me with Charms?" he asked her. James jutted his lower lip out in a pleading, innocent pout. Lily scoffed and pointed at Violet,

"That's what she's for!"

"Hey! _She_ has a name," Violet reminded her. Though, at this point, Lily was far too annoyed with James to really be concerned about anyone else. James' faltered. It wasn't like the usual rejection, or an insult. Lily was right. That _was_ partially what Violet's mentoring duty was. That meant he couldn't ask Lily to help him with homework he didn't really need help with, or help him find his way in the castle when he really wasn't lost. This made James feel particularly sour. He lost half of his attempts at Lily's attention.

Suddenly, James stood up on the Gryffindor table. He ignored his fellow Gryffindors' cries of protest when he stepped over their food. He stood in front of Lily, and grinned,  
"But I _want_ you to help me, Evans." Lily just pointed at Violet, and James eventually got the message. Keeping up his unaffected facade, he jumped off the Gryffindor table and sat down beside Violet. "_Women..._" he muttered. Violet shook her head at James, and patted his shoulder.

"You'll live."  
"No, I won't." he protested. James threw his head back and sighed dramatically, "I'm going to die alone and unloved!" And that's when a throng of girls suddenly began to coo and soothe James' "broken heart". Violet couldn't hold back a laugh while Lily just stared across the table in disbelief.


	4. Good and Bad Company

"Vi?"  
"Yes, James?"

"I'm bored."  
"We're in a library, find a book to read."

It was a chilly November 24th, three weeks that James and Violet had been spending every day during Lunch in the library. James and Violet had become closer, and they could definitely say they called each other friends. The two Gryffindors didn't talk quite as much in their common room as they did in the library. There was something special about the dusty old place. Something that made it _their_ dusty old library where their memories were kept.

Violet scribbled across the parchment paper in her usual chicken-scratch handwriting. She was finishing her Charms essay that was due in two more classes. She was good at Charms, but Violet was certainly a procrastinator, and somewhat lazy. The only thing she was truly driven towards was singing.

"But what if I don't want to read? What if I want to go on an adventure?" James questioned her. Violet shrugged,  
"Books are mini-adventures you can have without even leaving your chair. Read a Muggle Fiction book, they're good." James sighed, scratching at the table with his fingernail. He knew he would eventually succumb to exploring a book for a little bit, but for now he was going to try and out-stubborn Violet into letting them go outside. Which usually never worked, but a boy can dream.  
"We should go outside," James suggested, "It's not snowing or anything. We've been caged up in here all week, Vi! I wanna go outside."

Violet sighed, placing the tip of her quill into the ink bottle beside her. She knew James had a point, and she wanted some fresh air, too, to be completely honest. She rested her chin in her palms, and then said,

"Alright. We can go outside—" James beamed, leaping to his feet and pumping his fist in the air. "—one _one_ condition!" Violet finished. James groaned and plopped back down in the seat.

"What condition?"  
"We're not going in the Forbidden Forest, or the Black Lake."  
"Fine, fine, let's go!"

* * *

Violet wound her Gryffindor scarf around her neck, jogging to keep up with James.

"James, slow down!" she cried.

"No!" he shouted back, throwing his arms open wide like a scrawny, eleven-year-old eagle. James ran ahead, hooting and hollering about "finally being free" and "no one could stop the awesome James Potter!" Violet eventually gave up on trying to keep up with James, and just walked at her own pace, still keeping an eye on him. She laughed at his attempts at cartwheels, and when he shouted at her to "Check this out, Vi!"

James always wanted attention, and for some reason, to Violet it wasn't sad, or pathetic, or irritating. It was just James. He wanted the attention because he was used to always having it. And somehow or another, whether you liked James Potter or not, you gave him attention no matter what. Whether you meant to or not. James was just a person you loved seeing.

"What're you giggling at, Half-Blood?" an unfamiliar voice sneered. Violet looked over her shoulder, and saw a group of third-year Slytherins. She didn't know them, but based on the way they looked down their noses at Violet, she could tell she didn't like them one bit.

Violet didn't answer. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of wriggling an answer out of her. They would _not_ make her lose her temper or snap at them. That's precisely what they wanted— to get a rise out of her. And Violet refused to give them what they wanted. "I'm talking to you!" he snarled. The boy grabbed her arm and gave her a rough shake.

_That_ was where the line was crossed. Violet drew her wand and cast a rather nasty Bat-Bogey Hex at the boy who held her. The boy smacked at the black bats, shouting to his friends, "Get her! Get her!"

The remaining of the three boys drew their wands on her, probably about to use some horrid hex on her they learned deep in the dungeons. Violet raised her wand back at them, prepared to hit them with what she did to their friend. However, James had something else in mind.

"Oi! Prats! Over here! I knew your faces were ugly, but I didn't think that affected the rest of your body! C'mon, follow my pretty face!" James called at them. He started running backwards, beckoning the Slytherins with his hands. They glared, and ran after James, furious that a first-year Bloodtraitor would _dare_ mouth off to them.

James cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx at the first one, grinning wildly. He taunted them, spinning around in circles. The tallest of the Slytherins managed to sneak up on James from behind, and tackled him to the ground.  
"You're going to get what's coming to you, little shit." he spat at James. He raised his fist in the air and James reached out for his wand. Suddenly, the Slytherin froze, wincing in pain.  
"Ow! Dammit! Dammit!" he cursed, hopping off of James, "It stings! It stings!" James looked at the Slytherin in confusion. He hadn't hexed him, his friends were either suffering from Bat Bogeys or Jelly Legs. Around twenty feet away stood Violet, her wand raised in the direction of where James was. James jumped to his feet, and ran to Violet's side. He didn't pause or stop. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her behind him, laughing at the misfortune of the Slytherins they hexed.

* * *

James and Violet crashed into the Gryffindor common room, half-panting, half-laughing. They fell onto their knees, nearly falling on top of one another.

"Oh, that was brilliant! You were brilliant!" James cheered. He let out a loud "phew" and flopped on his back, chuckling to himself. Once he caught more of his breath, he called out to Sirius, demanding he get his behind over there right now and listen to how he and Violet bested the Slytherins.  
A boy with a scarred face and dusty brown hair offered his hand to Violet,

"Need a hand up?" he asked with a soft smile. Violet nodded, and took his hand. The boy helped her up, and then shook her hand. "I'm Remus Lupin. And you're Violet. James told us about you."

She smiled at Remus,

"Thanks, Remus." He nodded at her, and released her hand. He leaned against the couch, and listened to James tell the story of their encounter with the Slytherins.

"They called me Half-Blood. I don't get it. Were they trying to be mean?" Violet asked them. James tensed, and said with edginess,

"They're jerks, ignore them. If they say anything to you again, tell me. No one messes with James Potter, or his friends."  
James puffed out his chest and placed his hands on the couch. And with James' air of confidence, it wasn't difficult to believe.


	5. Christmas Hexes

**A/N: Thank you so so much to the lovely people who have reviewed, favorite, and alerted for my story. It really means a lot to me, and it also encourages me to write more because I know people are actually reading it and enjoying it! Seriously, this fanfiction has been out for around 5 days and I already have 300 views! Thank you for reading my fic~!**

**Also, after this chapter there will be a time-skip to to fifth year, and from there the story will continue from fifth to seventh year, maybe even a little bit after. I mostly wanted to have it start in first year to preface James and Violet's bond and friendship and where/how it started and how it strengthened blah blah blah. c: **

**Please read and enjoy! **

**xoxo**

**-Katy**

* * *

**"**Merry Christmas to all of our students here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Let the feast begin, and enjoy your holiday!" Professor Dumbledore announced. He stood at the professor's dining table in the Great Hall, using his wand to amplify his voice over the idle chatter of the students.

The four house tables erupted into applause, and occasionally hooting and hollering. Which, of course, came from none other than the Marauders seated proudly at the Gryffindor table. The Marauders and Violet had all agreed that they would exchange presents before they left for Christmas holiday, because odds were after that they would just forget.

From Sirius and James, Violet had received...a bouquet of violets.

"Hilarious, guys, really," Violet had said, rolling her eyes. But she smiled and thanked them anyway. It was the thought that counted. Peter had given Violet a new bottle of ink because she always complained about losing hers. Remus gave Violet a book he had heard her talking about wanting to read.

Remus received chocolate from the other three Marauders, but Violet had given him a dark blue scarf. "Well, you're always getting ill, so I thought a scarf may help you bundle up," had been Violet's explanation. But Remus seemed touched, and thanked her for it.

James received a list full of prank ideas and other mischievous plots and brews from Sirius for the both of them to try out. James got a book from Remus, which he did thank Remus for after inconspicuously pulling a face quite similar to that of someone retching. James got a Snitch from Peter, and Violet bought him Muggle things he liked from what she told him. They included an American football, and two vouchers for any film he wanted to see at the cinema.

"Sweet! Muggle stuff!" James cheered.

Sirius received a book from Remus in which he _also_ not-so-inconspicuously make a face similar to that of someone retching. Violet made Sirius cookies, because Sirius ate more than his weight in food in general, and he loved Violet's cookies. Peter and James both gave Sirius a bag of Zonko's Joke Shop items that they picked out together. He didn't say much other than thank you, but by the way he nudged James and nodded at Severus Snape, they had something up their sleeve.

Remus and Violet both got Peter his favorite type of food— Muggle junk food. However, Sirius and James had a better present in mind for the quietest Marauder.

"Y'know how Snivellus pushed you in the Lake yesterday, Pete?" James asked, patting the seat on the bench beside him. Peter sat down next to James,

"Yeah..."

"Watch and learn," Sirius finished. They beckoned for Peter to turn around, and he did. They faced the Slytherin table just as Severus was pulling open the bow on the tiny little blue box that had his name on it. The handwriting looked scarily familiar to Lily's, and his name was abbreviated to just "Sev".

Within a few seconds, the little box explode, covering Severus in an awful-smelling green slime. The entire hall went silent for a few moments before busting up with laughter. Sirius and James just managed a "Merry Christmas, Pete" through their guffawing.

Violet wasn't able to stifle a few laughs. She knew it was bad of her to laugh at other people's misfortune, but she just couldn't help it. She stood up from the table and reached underneath to get her bag. She slung it over her shoulder, and turned to say goodbye to James, passing in front of him to walk out of the hall.

Suddenly, a painful feeling shot into her legs, popping in the knees, turning and twisting and finally she dropped to the floor, tears welling in her eyes. She shrieked in pain, staring in horror at her reversed knees. Severus was standing, his wand pointed and a look of shock on his face. He hadn't been aiming for Violet.  
James look to Violet, and then back at Severus. His face turned a deep scarlet, and he roared,

"You're dead, Snivellus!" He yanked his wand out and pointed it at Severus. The air of anger and possibly even _hatred_ between the two first years was so thick, you could cut it with a butter knife.  
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily ran between Severus and James, her wand drawn. James rolled his eyes in exasperation,

"Evans, move away from Sniv—" James began, but Lily was faster with her wand. She flicked her wrist and James' glasses snapped back onto his face like a rubber band snapping on someone's arm. He cried out in pain, covering his eyes and cursing underneath his breath.

At this point, Sirius got to his feet, and Remus was trying to help Violet sit down on the bench. Violet glared at Lily, and dug her hand into her pocket for her wand. Remus placed his hand on Violet's wrist, and whispered,

"I wouldn't if I were you."

Sirius looked as if he were about to tackle Severus. McGonagall, however, was not going to let this Christmas Hex-fest last a moment longer. She waved her wand and a buckets of water dunked all over James, Lily, and Severus.  
"That's quite enough! Mr. Snape, Mr. Potter, and Miss Evans, there is no dueling tolerated outside of class. Detention for all three of you, this weekend," McGonagall turned to tell Sirius and Remus to take Violet to the Hospital Wing, but two sixth years had already jogged over to help. They were twins, and they shared Violet's eye color, hair, and nose. "Ah, the Hammel boys. Please, take your sister to the Hospital Wing."

"Brothers?" James quirked his eyebrow, looking from Violet to the two boys.  
"I got her, Rich," the slightly shorter one told the twin with a freckle underneath his left eye. The freckled twin nodded, and collected Violet's belongings. The slightly shorter twin crouched down to the bench, his back facing Violet. She wound her arms around his neck and climbed on as best she could with reversed knees.  
"Thanks, Clay," she murmured. And they carried her out of the Great Hall.

* * *

The four Marauders each visited Violet in the Hospital Wing before they left for their holiday at home. James was the one to visit most often out of the four of them. He couldn't help but feel guilty over it. James was the one who put the prank on Snape together, but she was the one who received the Slytherin's nasty Knee-Reversal Hex.

James plopped down in the chair beside Violet's bed, grinning,

"There's my favorite second year. How are the knees doing?"

Violet bent her left leg, and smiled, saying,  
"The left leg is all fixed up. I should have my right knee back the way it was by tomorrow. Then I can finally get out of here and hopefully shower." Violet lifted a dirty lock of her hair, frowning.

"Yeah, you do smell a bit."  
"James!"


	6. In Matters of the Heart

**A/N: OH MY GOOD GOD I AM SOOOO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE AND POST AND AGH FORGIVE ME.**

**Hey lovely readers! This is when the time-skip is to fifth year, prior to the Snape/Lily Mudblood incident. Please please please please pleeeaasseee leave me a review, I really want your feedback. c: Thank you!**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**-Katy**

* * *

**~September 1st, 1976~**

Violet straightened her Gryffindor tie, peering out the window of the Hogwarts Express. Her music book was sat in her lap, one of her favorite possessions. It'd be the sixth year in a row that Violet had taken Music as an extra-curricular. She was beginning to learn how to play the piano, that way she would be able to accompany herself when she sang.

She had managed to get a compartment all to herself. At least, for now. Once the Marauders made their appearance, she'd be a part of the loudest compartment on the express. Violet began to daydream, thinking of the future parties, the Quidditch games, and the pranks the Marauders would pull. And, knowing James, not only would they be bigger and better than last year, but they would also be to try and catch Lily's attention.

The door to the compartment slid open. Lily Evans and Severus Snape stepped in, immersed in a conversation. Violet turned her head to the door, her eyes narrowing at the unwelcome visitors. Lily paused mid-sentence, and caught Violet's gaze. Severus adjusted his bag strap a bit awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

Violet stood, and strode over to Lily. They were around the same height, so it wasn't as if it were easy for one to intimidate the other. However, Violet's stubbornness and temper was nearly as bad as Lily's, if not worse. She folded her arms, and shot her a warning gaze.

"The Marauders will be here soon. I suggest you leave now in order to avoid a hex-fest. You _are_ a prefect, aren't you?"

Lily stood her ground, not avoiding Violet's harsh stare, and nodded,

"I am, and we will take your suggestion. Thank you, Violet."

Violet turned on her heel, and returned to her seat. No "You're welcome", or "See you later". Just silence, and hopefully Violet's intents let the two intruders know they had overstayed their welcome in the compartment. At least Lily had. Violet didn't care all that much for Severus.

Now, Violet was sure Lily was a very nice person. However, Violet didn't like Lily for one reason and one reason only: the way she treated James. In all fairness, James _was_ Violet's friend first, and her absolute _best friend_. And it wasn't like Lily couldn't relate, either. Severus was her best friend for whatever odd reason, and she doesn't like the way James treats Severus. Ergo, she doesn't exactly regard him kindly. Violet and Lily were simply on opposite sides of the same garden.

The sound of the compartment door shutting with a "click!" and retreating footsteps helped Violet's previously tense state slacken and relax. She stretched, extending her arms out and rotating her shoulders a bit. She leaned her forehead against the window, just about to fall asleep.

The door to the compartment swung open, and a familiar voice demanded,

"The hell was Snivellus doing in here?"

James Potter plopped down beside Violet. Over the years, James had grown taller, hit puberty as thought it were a home-run in baseball, and the Quidditch training certainly got him into _great _shape. Violet's prediction about James' popularity only increasing was proven immensely correct. Nowadays, _many_ girls were asking Violet if James was single. She didn't really know what to say to them, so she'd just walk away or tell them to ask him themselves. Personally, she didn't approve of most of the girls who asked her, anyway. They weren't good enough for James.

"He was here with Evans, apparently," Violet answered, "it's whatever. Now, hug me, Potter, I haven't seen you in weeks."

James grinned and threw his arms around Violet, squeezing her tightly.

"Ah, there's my favorite sixth year!" he exclaimed. Truth be told, he did miss Violet. She's been his best girl friend since first year, and the very first Marauder-ette. Mary MacDonald was almost a Marauder-ette, but she had become far more attached to Lily than any of the Marauders.

Violet squeaked in surprise, "Shit, you got strong!" James chuckled,

"And you haven't grown in two years. Nothing new." He let her go, and she replied to his remark with smack on the arm with a book.

"Twat."

"Love you, too, beautiful." James ruffled her hair with his hand. Violet rolled her eyes and looked in the window of the express, adjusting her hair accordingly with what she could from the measly reflection of herself the window offered.  
"Where's the rest of the Marauders?" Violet asked. James blew out a breath of air in thought, and leaned against the seat,  
"Sirius went to entertain some birds, Remus has Prefect shit to do, and Pete is probably lost."

Violet shrugged,

"Guess it's just you and me until the other three find their way here." James nodded, and swiveled around on the train seat. He laid down on his back and rested his head in Violet's lap. He'd done this so often, Violet didn't mind anymore. In fact, she expected it when they hung out together at this point. She wasn't entirely sure why James preferred her to everyone else's lap, but he did. Maybe it was the perfume, maybe her skirt was the softest or maybe just because she was there.

Violet ran her fingers through James' hair like she always did. To anyone who knew the Marauders or has at least seen them together, this was normal. Them _not_ having some form of physical contact with the other was out-of-the-ordinary.  
James idly tossed his snitch up in the air, caught it, and repeated. Violet began to quietly sing a Beatles' song to herself, and James paused to listen. He had always quite liked her singing voice.

"You should show me that song later," James prompted, "I like the way it sounds. Is that the band named after an insect?"  
"The Beatles, yes. But they're not named after the insect. It's a play on words, referring to beat as rhythm instead. I'll show you when we get back. Sirius always a huge party the night we get back anyway."

James grinned, pushing his glasses up on his nose, proclaiming,

"This year is gonna be awesome." Violet raised an eyebrow,

"What makes you think that?"

"Nothing in particular, other than I know Evans is going to finally go out with me. This year is _the_ year, I can feel it, Vi." Violet rolled her eyes at James.

"You say that _every_ year, James."  
"Well, I mean it this year!"  
"You say _that_ every year, too!"

James stuck his tongue out at Violet. He huffed and folded his arms, and although he was joking, Violet knew him well enough to tell that he had undertones of seriousness when he spoke,

"You could at least be a _bit _more supportive of me, Vi."

Violet's face went from shock to an expression of "excuse-me-bitch?". She retorted with,

"I _am_ supportive of you! I go to every Quidditch match, I wear your stupid lucky scarf— excuse me for not being supportive _just_ in your taste in women."

"Evans is perfect!" James argued. Violet scoffed at him,  
"Perfect? She treats you like _shit_ James! She'd rather spend time with a potential Death Eater— your arch nemesis, might I add— than you."

James' shoulders sagged, and he deflated for the slightest instant before throwing his façade back on. He sat up, removing his head from Violet's lap.  
"Well, I'll change that." he said confidently. Which, again, James had said something along those lines every new year at Hogwarts, but Violet wasn't going to contradict him. For now, at least. She felt somewhat guilty, she knew she had touched a nerve. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around James' neck, resting her chin on his collarbone.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. James rolled his eyes,

"C'mon, Hammel, don't get all gushy on me!" he jested. Violet released him and leaned against the seat. She pushed their spat in the furthest corner of her mind possible. She didn't want to start out the new year fighting with James. "Now, smile, or I'll make you." he threatened.

"You can't _make _me."  
"Oh, yes, I can!" James reached out and began tickling Violet relentlessly. She shrieked similar to that of a bird exploding, and began laughing hysterically. She flailed her limbs, trying to escape her horrid torturer.  
"N-no! St-ah-ha-stop!" she pleaded. James shook his head,

"Not until you say James Potter is a Sexy Quidditch God and that you are not worthy of his presence!"  
"NEVER!" Violet shouted.

The door slid open and Remus entered the compartment, an amused smile playing on his lips.  
"Come now, Prongs, unwanted physical contact is against the rules," he reminded James. James pouted at Remus,

"But _Mooonnnyyy_..."

Violet freed herself from James' tickly hands and ran to Remus, hiding behind him. Though, there really wasn't that much to hide behind. Remus was fairly lanky.

"Remus, James is abusing me!" she whined. Remus chuckled and sat down,

"Am I going to have to put you two in time-out?" he asked. Immediately, James and Violet offered up the other's name directly after saying "No, but (blank) needs to be in time-out".

A few moments later, Violet immediately hopped to her feet when she noticed a group of Ravenclaws passing. She straightened and fixed her hair. She looked to Remus,

"Code Blue, Remus!" and then jogged out of the compartment.

James raised an eyebrow.

"What's Code Blue?" Remus smiled sheepishly, and shook his head.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, Prongs..."

"No, no. No, no, no, no. What is Code Blue, Moony?" James awaited his response. Remus sat silently, and that was enough for James to get the idea of what "code blue" was. He groaned and covered his face with his hands, "For the love of all that is good and holy, _please_ do not tell me that 'code blue' means Vi is going to flirt with that Ravenclaw ponce Reed."

And once again, Remus was silent. "Moony, you're dead to me." James sat up and made his way to the door as Sirius promptly entered the compartment. "Move aside, Padfoot, I have to save Vi."

Sirius placed his hand against the door, blocking James' way.

"Sorry, mate," he shrugged, "Vi and I struck a deal. Some of my homework gets done and I keep Code Blue in tact. How it goes."

"You're both dead to me," James pouted and sat back down in the seat.

* * *

For the past forty-five minutes, the four Marauders (after Peter had navigated the train and finally found their compartment) had discussed Quidditch, girls, pranks, and the best way to succeed in all of the aforementioned subjects in the smallest amount of time. And of course, the pranks were all formed around the nights Remus had prefect duty so they could get away with it.

Violet and the mysterious Ravenclaw boy only known by his surname "Reed" had passed by the Marauders' compartment over five times now, still immersed in whatever conversation they were having. Finally, James had had enough.

"Wormtail, grab Violet the next time she passes," he commanded.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Peter wasn't going to argue, so he quickly got to his feet and scampered to the door and waited for Violet to pass by. When she did, Peter grabbed her arm and yanked her into the compartment. Violet yepled in surprise, stumbling into the room. She looked around the compartment, first to James, next to Remus, and then finally Sirius,

"We had a deal! You weren't supposed to let James ruin Code Blue!" she snapped. Sirius threw his hands up in his own defense,

"Hey! I _didn't_ let James ruin Code Blue! _Peter_ ruined Code Blue and you told me to stop James, not Peter! I didn't break any deal here, so my next Charms essay better be done." he replied.

Violet quickly recovered and pulled the boy she had been walking with into the compartment,

"Sorry, Alejandro, you can come in," she apologized, "my friends are idiots sometimes apart from Remus."  
"Hey! I didn't say he could come in!" James piped up.

"I didn't say you could _speak!_" Violet rounded on James. James shrunk back, mimicking Sirius and raising his hands up in his defense.

Alejandro was tall, with tan skin and dark, deep-set, long-lashed eyes. He looked from James to Violet, and finally spoke up. His voice was deep, soft, and controlled,

"I don't want to cause any fights between the five of you. If you'd like me to leave, I wouldn't mind..."

"No!"

"Yes!"

James and Violet exclaimed at the exact same time. The entire compartment went silent for a moment.

"I'll walk back with you, Al. Sorry you had to deal with these _dolts_," Violet said, throwing a _very_ displeased look at James in particular. Remus smiled to himself, glad to not be included in Violet's dolt list.

James stood up and flipped off Alejandro multiple times behind his back as he was leaving. Violet turned around to close the door just in time to catch James in mid flip-off. She slammed the compartment door quite loudly in James' face, making the three sitting Marauders jump.

"Is Vi mad at us?" Peter squeaked. Remus shook his head,

"No, just James mostly,"

James huffed in frustration. Sirius smirked and quipped,

"Yeah, well, what else is knew?" Remus nudged Sirius and shook his head at him. He looked to James and said in a softer tone,

"Perhaps you shouldn't delve into her personal life like that, Prongs. You do want her to be happy, don't you?"

"Shut up, Moony. You're still dead to me." James said with a pout.

* * *

Long after the feast and the Sorting Ceremony, Violet, Peter, and Remus all returned to the Gryffindor common room with most of their house. They weren't able to locate Sirius and James, however, and that was to be expected. They always had some huge, spectacular prank to mark the begining of the year.

Violet sat on the cushy armchair next to Remus in the Gryffindor common room. Remus was studying, and Violet finishing a new Muggle fiction book her mother bought her. They had always been her favorite. Remus shut his book, and sat up.

"I'm going to bed now, Vi. See you tomorrow morning."

"See you tomorrow morning," Violet responded. Remus stretched his limbs momentarily, letting out a yawn and quietly ascended the stairs to the Gryffindor boys' dorm. Violet stayed up a bit longer. She was determined to at least finish this chapter before she fell asleep. However, it appeared her body's urge to sleep was a bit stronger than her determination, and about twenty minutes after Remus had gone to bed, she was out like a light.

Half an hour later, James snuck back into the Gryffindor common room with Sirius by his side. They high-fived and whispered their congrats, and went on about how brilliant their plan was.

They made their way to the stairs, and Sirius passed James. He was almost half-way to the top when he realized James wasn't walking with him.

"You comin', mate?"  
"Yeah, just a minute."

James quietly tip-toed over to the couch were Violet lay asleep. He would have carried her up to her dorm if the stairs weren't charmed (which he found out about the hard way). He carefully slid his cloak off of his shoulders, and draped the thick, warm material over Violet. She didn't stir, or even shift in the slightest. In fact, had James not known any better, he would've thought she rested easier with something of his nearby. But James knew better.

Didn't he?


	7. A Slytherin Never Forgets His Debts

**A/N: Over 800 views?! *screams* Did I ever mention how much I LOVE ALL OF YOU?! Especially my reviewers, favers, and followers. Please continue to favorite, follow, and review! I love you all so so so much. c:**

**xoxo**

**-Katy**

* * *

Rain pattered on the windows of the Great Hall. It was a dreary September afternoon, and as usual, the Marauders were up to no good. James and Sirius had spent a large percentage of the previous night setting up some huge, magnificent prank to start off the year.

Violet sat down at the Gryffindor table, and by Sirius and James' absence, she could tell something wasn't quite right. The way Violet usually found out about what the more mischievous half of the Marauders were up to was simply by observing Remus and Peter. They weren't exactly the best actors, and more often than not just watched the prey of the day until James and Sirius struck.

And as it appeared, their prey of the day was Severus Snape. Nothing really out of ordinary. She was just about to sit down when Alejandro waved to her. She waved back, and then he signaled for her to go to him. Violet nodded at him, swung her legs around the bench, and stood up. She walked around the end of the table, and as she passed, she overheard Severus speaking to Lily,

"I-I...I mean, I thought...I should tell you...th-that...well..." he sputtered, his cheeks a bright pink. Lily sat in front of him, looking at him clueless and expectant for whatever he was trying to get across that Lily couldn't quite piece together.

But Violet could. She spent her whole life with boys, and she had a year's experience on Lily. You rarely ever see a teenage boy blush, let alone a boy like Snape. There was no way this was any ordinary conversation.

And suddenly, instead of Snape and Lily, Violet thought of herself two years prior, in fourth year. She thought of her fourteen-year-old-self, stuttering and sputtering in front of the guy she fancied. She remembered being rejected for the first time, and how awful she felt. How deflated, unwanted, and just plain _lonely. _

As if that wasn't bad enough, Lily was more than likely going to turn down Snape, thought not as harshly as the sixth year boy two years prior. However, with whatever prank James and Sirius were going to play, Severus' rejection would just be a hundred times worse. The humiliation, the laughter, the snarky remarks...she shook her head. Violet couldn't stand there and watch someone hurt if she knew she could prevent it.

She paused, and waited. She waited for the right time, when James and Sirius were moments away from pulling the prank. They always had a way of making themselves known, of course. It was James and Sirius; they wanted everyone to know _they_ did it and how _awesome _what they did was. And then she smelled it: that stupid cologne Sirius insists on wearing. She followed the smell to Severus, and just as a bucket of God-Knows-What peeked out from seemingly nowhere, she shoved Severus behind her.

A bucket-load of chicken shit they nicked from Hagrid's chickens flew all over Violet. She had barely managed to hold her arms in front of her face and avoid fecal matter covering her face, too. The entire Great Hall busted up into hysterical laughter, pointing, shouting, and chanting.

"_Shit!"_ James' voice echoed from what appeared to be nowhere, but it sounded like he was only a few feet away from her. The bucket clanked to the floor.

"Prongs, no." a voice that sounded scarily like Sirius' hissed. Violet couldn't figure out where the voices were coming from. She could swear they were right in front of her!

Violet looked at herself, disgusted with the fecal matter that stuck to her clothes and hair. It dripped onto the floor, and Violet's face burned in shame. She hung her head, tears slipping down her cheeks as the laughter increased.

Suddenly, a wave of cold water washed over Violet. She spluttered in surprise. Then she was suddenly assaulted by scrub brushes and she was scrubbed clean, rinsed once more, and finally a strong wind dried her off. She lifted her head and brushed her hair back to see who had cast the _Scourgify _on her.

A thick cloak dropped onto her shoulders and Alejandro strode up beside her,

"Here, come on, I'll walk you out," he said quietly. Violet nodded, pulling his cloak closer to herself. As they passed, Violet could swear she heard angry, distressed, yet hushed bickering. She couldn't make it all out, but it sounded along the lines of:  
"No...can't...everyone will see!"

"...Don't care!...That creep!"

Alejandro walked Violet out of the Great Hall and to the Moving Staircases.  
"You should probably rest a bit after whatever that was," he advised, brushing a stray lock of Violet's hair behind her ear. She reached to take the cloak off her shoulders, but he held his hand up in protest, "you can give it back tomorrow." he told her. Violet nodded at him, her cheeks turning a pink hue not just at his kindness, but at their proximity. He smiled at her, and walked back to the Great Hall.

Violet stood there for a few moments, a smile growing on her face. She turned on her heel, and started up the stairs when a new voice called out to her,

"Hammel!"

Severus ran after her, and jogged up the stairs to her. He was slightly out-of-breath, his gaze intense, "Why? Why did you help me? You're with Potter! Did you pity me enough to do it?"

Violet sighed, and rubbed her forehead, losing all feeling of her previous good mood.

"No, Snape, I didn't. It was instinct, okay?" She started up the stairs once more, and she had thought Severus had gone as she reached the top of the first. Yet, he called out to her once more.

"I'll remember this. A Slytherin never forgets his debts."


	8. The Green-Eyed Monster

**A/N: OVER 1,000 VIEWS? *squees and bursts into confetti* You are all wonderful! Thank you so much! **

**NOW I'd like to ask my readers a few questions in honor of over 1,000 views. You don't need to answer if you don't want to, I'm just curious: Why did you click on this fanfiction? Do you prefer Jily, or James and Violet? Because some of my friends who are avid Jily fans were kinda (VERY) unsupportive...XD **

**You can answer this if you like in reviews, or in my Tumblr ask. My URL is oh-my-marauder-love and then you would put in . tumblr .com. Sorry about the weird format. FF net doesn't like URLS apparently. xD**

**Thank you lovelies! Please R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

_"...You mean you're _not_ angry with me?"_

Between Violet and James, it was the term used most often the Saturday morning after the prank-gone-wrong on Severus. Violet had assumed that James would be furious with her for helping Severus, and James had been expecting the usual slap in the face or something of the sort from Violet.

"No slapping, no hexes, nothing?" James questioned, flabbergasted. Violet shook her head at him.

"No...You're not mad at me for helping Severus?" She quirked her eyebrow at him. James flapped his lips like a horse, and looked at the ceiling as if he were trying to think.

"Well, yes, but I think I'm more relieved I'm not getting hexed or hit in the face. You're so mean to me, Viiii," James whined. Violet's usual tough-girl face when it came to times like these crumbled quickly and she broke into a smile.

"I know," she admitted.  
"_I know?_ You're not supposed to say 'I know'! You're supposed to say 'I'm so so sorry, Handsome, Sexy James Potter! Now sweep me off my feet as I bat my eyelashes!" James proclaimed, using a higher, stereotypical girly-voice to imitate Violet. He grabbed her hand, raised it above her head and spun her in a circle without warning.

Violet cried out in surprise, and stumbled over her own feet as she struggled to keep up with James.

"James!"

He laughed.  
"C'mon, keep up, Hammel! Either I'm too fast for you, or you're just a shite dancer." he stung his tongue out at her playfully. Violet's jaw dropped at this remark. Violet Hammel not good at dancing? Unthinkable! She scoffed at him.

"I am a _fantastic_ dancer, thank you very much." Violet shoved his shoulder. James raised an eyebrow at her.

"Alright, how 'bout you prove it then?" he teased, "Dance for me."

Violet shook her head at him, reached out and snatched his hands. She dragged him into the center of the common room,

"No, no," she smirked, "it doesn't work like that. C'mon, Casanova. Dance _with_ me."

James shook his head rapidly. The truth of the matter was, James couldn't dance to save his life. However, much to his utter relief, Sirius stormed into the common room with two bottles of Firewhiskey in his hands. James and Violet broke apart immediately, James stuffing his hands into his pockets and whistling a random tune he plucked from off the top of his head. Violet, not so quick on her feet, just stood there for a moment before spinning on her heel and walking toward the couch.

"Don't mean to interrupt _lovebirds_—well, actually, I do— but I have been the ever-so-wonderful and gracious man as I always have been, and retrieved two bottles of Firewhiskey for us," he announced, and raised the Firewhiskey bottles to his companions. James smirked,

"Well, look at that. The ugly prat did something useful for once."

"Still better-looking than you, Prongs, still better-looking than you."

Before either of them could start one of their usual "I'm-Better-Looking" competitions, Violet cut in.

"Thank you, Sirius, you're the best," she told him with a smile. Sirius grinned at her,

"I know." He popped the cork off the bottle, and easily transfigured a large vase into three smaller glasses, and poured the Firewhiskey into the newly-made glasses.

James and Violet reached for them just as Remus and Peter entered. James and Sirius cheered, proclaiming it was just like a regular old Marauders' bash. As Sirius collected more glasses, the common room portrait swung open, and Lily Evans stomped in, fuming and out of breath.

"BLACK!" she exclaimed, "I _told_ you; alcohol is not permitted on school premises!"

"Oh, c'mon, Evans," Sirius whined, "you're just sour because you're not invited."

"Evan's invited!" James piped up. Lily's eyes brushed over the group. She knew she wasn't _really_ invited whenever Violet was there.  
"Won't you just have a little drink, Lily? It's not a big deal," Remus said softly. Even he wanted her there.

"I'll even be nice to Sni— er, Severus for a week," James offered. He said Severus' name as though it were a complicated Latin word that was difficult to not just pronounce, but choke down as well. James had hardly ever used Severus' name. Did he really _ever_ until now?

Lily was hesitant, but the corners of her lips turned up in a masked smile.

"Alright." she agreed. Violet's eyebrows shot up. Had Lily just..._agreed? _Violet placed her drink on the fireplace, and stood just as Lily sat down. It always bothered her how they openly accepted her despite how she insulted James. If anyone had called Violet something in the slightest negative form, James would've hexed them three ways until Sunday!

"I have somewhere to be," Violet said vaguely, and roughly pushed passed Lily. Her thigh connected with Lily's hand, causing the Firewhiskey to spill onto her lap. Lily gasped, and stood up. Sirius made a loud, "OOOHHH!" noise and Remus frankly didn't look very surprised. Just a bit disappointed, really. James looked from Lily to Violet, a bit confused, but also unsurprised. He hated it when Violet did this. It was going to ruin his chances with Lily! In a blight of anger, he snapped,

"Why your rush, Vi? Going to the library to read with Reed? Maybe snog a bit, eh?"

Violet immediately froze and slowly turned around to face James. The three of the four Marauders all sunk lower behind the couches and any form of an inanimate piece of furniture, trying to avoid Violet's wrath. All but James. Sure, she'd shoved him before, and even slapped him across the face before, but that was temporary. And none of it was actually undeserved, either. He knew deep down Violet would never want to _truly_ hurt him.

"Yeah, James. Maybe I'll even shag him, too!"

Her retort was all acid, and then the portrait door slammed shut behind her.

At least, James hoped she'd never want to truly hurt him.

* * *

"I don't know why you bother, Violet," Alejandro told her earnestly. He still couldn't seem to wrap his head around why Violet chose to still be friends with these...kids. Alejandro could not think of anything or anyone more annoying and immature than the Marauders. At least 75% of the Marauders, anyway. Alejandro didn't mind Remus, "they're just a bunch of kids. And how often do you argue with them, anyway? Do you honestly think your relationship with them is healthy?"

Violet sighed, not really wanting to hear this from Alejandro, but she supposed this was to be expected when she met up with him and she usual complained about her fellow Gryffindors.

"It's not all of them, Al. It's just James sometimes. I know it doesn't make sense to you, but it does for someone who knows him. He doesn't have siblings, you know? So he's super protective of the friends he has because they're the closest things he has _to_ siblings. It's nothing personal against you, Al, it's every guy I've ever spoken a slight positive word of who isn't a Marauder. Okay, yeah, that's an exaggeration, but you get what I mean. Yeah?"

"No, not really. I don't understand Potter, and I don't think he understands you very well, either."

"He understands me more than you think."


	9. Lily in the Autumn Leaves

**A/N: Hey you guys! I decided to do something a little different this chapter. This time, it's from Lily's POV. Dun dun dun! *dramatic music* But yeah, please Read, Review, an Enjoy!**

**-Katy**

**xoxo**

* * *

A crisp, orange leaf crunched underneath Lily's shoe. September was slowing coming to a close, and it would be the first of October just next week. A lot of the lower years were hopping into piles of leaves, causing them to burst and scatter even more leaves across the grounds. She smiled, and watched some of them throw leaves at each other. It was the little things in life, Lily decided, that were worth stopping, watching, and remembering.

She was supposed to be on her way to the library to study with her friend Mary, who still kept trying to get her a boyfriend. To that, of course, Lily told her no one wanted to date her. Which brought in the subject of James Potter, who Lily immediately put at the top of the list of "People I Do Not Want to Date". Lily just thought James wasn't her type. She thought her type was studious, intelligent, and sweet. Mary told her she actually had to date to figure out her type, but then Lily spun that back around on her, and asked about her type. And it worked, because Mary was easy to distract like that.

Lily turned onto the grounds for a quick, scenic shortcut across the grounds. She could smell the leaves, and the cool autumn air. Autumn was Lily's favorite season, and of course people made jokes like "spring being Lily's favorite season", and she'd just roll her eyes. And of course, the person who usually made those jokes was Sirius Black. Who, surprisingly was not there in the ruckus. The three Marauders were, including Violet, but Sirius was nowhere in sight.

_Maybe he's feeling ill_, Lily thought to herself.

Suddenly, the sound of a rather loud dog bark jolted Lily out of her thoughts. She turned and saw a black, shaggy dog with a rapid wagging tail, and bright, gleaming blue eyes. He barked at Lily and she backed up, not sure if the strange dog was safe or not.  
"Oi!" a familiar voice called. Lily lifted her head to see James jogging over, and reached for the dog. "C'mere, you prat. Sorry about him, Evans. Didn't think he'd scare you." he grinned.

"Ja-, er, Potter, dogs aren't permitted—"  
"I know, I know. Dogs aren't permitted on Hogwarts' grounds. Blah blah blah. Really, Evans, in the Hogwarts letter it says a cat, owl, or a toad, and I've seen some kids with armadillos. I don't think they really care anymore. But I'll take this bastard here away so he doesn't bother you. C'mon, Snuffles..." James dragged the dog away, and turned his head over his shoulder, smiling pleasantly at Lily. "See ya, Evans!" He gave a little wave.

Lily stood there, not sure how to process what had just happened. James Potter had just been...pleasant. That, or someone had taken a Polyjuice potion and was pretending to be James. Lily decided to accept the latter, and walk on, pushing her encounter with James to the back of her mind.

* * *

"Just go out with him, Lily!" Mary pressed, her focus on their History of Magic assignment long gone. Lily's quill danced across the parchment.

"No, Mare. I don't date people I don't fancy."

"Lils, he was so nice to you today. And just think about it! Your rejection chances are literally 0%. _Zero!_At least think about it." Mary begged. Lily knew that despite it was irritating sometimes that Mary thought girls "_needed_" boyfriends, she knew she did at least _want_ a boyfriend. She wanted someone to kiss, and snuggle with, and share stories with.

"Okay," Lily agreed, "I'll think about it." Mary sighed in relief and threw her hands to the ceiling.  
"Praise Jesus!" she exclaimed. Lily threw her a playful glare and shoved her shoulder,

"Now, _you _need to think about expanding your interest lines besides the partying bad-boy types." Lily reminded her. Mary nodded, and placed her hand over her heart,

"I promise, I will spend more time with Remus."

Lily smiled.

"Good. Now, I have to get to lunch. See you later," she said to Mary. Lily slung her bag over her shoulder, and exited the library. She walked down the staircase, and to the entrance of the Great Hall. Just as she went to enter, James and Violet passed her.

_Where they holding hands?_ Lily thought to herself. She turned to look, and discovered that they were not just as she heard her name leave Violet's mouth. Curiosity got the better of Lily, and she followed after them, charming her ears so she could hear what they were saying from a further distance.

"I know you fancy her, James, I'm just worried you're going to wind up hurt because of her." Violet said.

_Lily_ hurting James? Really? Violet just wanted more reasons to dislike Lily, she was sure of it. James shook his head,

"I'll be fine, Vi. I promise. I worry about you almost as much as you worry about me, you know," he reminded her with a pointed look, "you know that Reed ponce doesn't deserve you. You could do so much better."

Violet looked at him with a dubious expression.

"Yeah? Like who?"

"...I don't know." James admitted.

Lily carefully avoided stepping on any branches on the grass, not wanting to be discovered. Though, she wondered if she did end up making a noise, would the two of them even hear? They seemed so absorbed in one another.

"Whatever," Violet shrugged, and leaned her head on James' shoulder, "I'm cold."

James slung his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her closer,

"Why do you only snuggle with me when you're cold, you thermal parasite?" he asked with a chuckled.

"You love me," Violet reminded him.

"Of course I do."

Lily stopped, and shoved her hands in her pockets. She watched the retreating backs of James and Violet. She turned around, and walked away from them to return to the Great Hall.

She was done thinking about it.


End file.
